06

Jump Start # 2589

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2589

Luke 4:23 “And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”

This is an interesting verse. Jesus was in Nazareth, his home town. Back home again, we sing around here in Indiana. In the synagogue, He read from Isaiah. He closed the book and everyone watched Him. He then declared that the passage, that prophecy, was fulfilled among them. He was declaring that He was the Messiah. The crowds like listening, but they were puzzled. He was in His home village. The people knew Him. This was the carpenter. This was Joseph’s son. He’d grown up there. How could He declare that He was the Messiah?

Their thoughts were racing through their heads. Jesus knew that. Being a step ahead, Jesus, in our verse today, anticipates that they will quote a proverb. Now, this proverb isn’t found in our book of Proverbs in the Bible. That wasn’t the only place for proverbs. Proverbs was wise sayings, or truisms. It was a form of literature. Their proverb that they were thinking was, “Physician, heal yourself!” They had head about the miracles in Capernaum. Show us who you are. A form of this would be repeated at the cross. The crowds shouted, “He saved others; let Him save Himself.”

Let’s look at that expression, “Physician, heal yourself.” A physician, or doctor, as we call them, ought to be able to take the same medicine that he prescribes to a patient. If he helps others get better, you’d think he could help himself. He ought to know what to do. A car mechanic ought to be able to fix his own car. A guy in the construction business ought to be able to repair his own house. You’d think that. Something looks wrong when the investment advisor is broke, or the gym instructor is overweight and out of shape.

All of this came to me the other day. We’ve been having multiple discussions about getting back to services. A plan was devised but I didn’t like it. Personally, I thought it stank. It put me in a sour mood and I just couldn’t see what the purpose was. We discussed this and they tried to explain things to me, but it wasn’t doing much good. I read yesterday’s Jump Start and then it hit me. And, when something hits you, it can humble you, smack you, and even sting your pride. It dawned on me that I could write about things being different, but I couldn’t put them into practice myself. Physician, heal yourself. Take your own medicine. Read your own words. Listen to what you are saying to others.

And, all of that is good for us.

Parents need to practice what they preach. We tell our kids things, but do we do them ourselves? We want them to pick up their toys. But do we leave the room trashed at the end of the day? We want our kids to apologize to each other, but do we do that when we’ve hurt our spouse? We want our kids to tell their mother ‘thank you,’ for making dinner. Do we say, ‘thank you?’ Physician, heal yourself.

Preachers need to practice what they preach. We can be pretty good at giving out advice and telling others what they need to do. We can quote Scriptures so quickly, it’s like a cowboy pulling out his six gun. Here’s what the elders ought to be doing, we think. He’s where the deacons are missing it, we say. The young families, they need to step it up more. The retired folks need to quit being retired from the Lord. Oh, the advice we can give. But, physician, heal yourself. Do you listen to what you are saying, preacher? Do you lead the way in example? Do you busy yourself in the lives of others and in showing people Christ?

Personally, we need to practice these things. We know why the prodigal got in a mess. We can tell others that they need to spend more time in the Scriptures and more time in prayer and less time watching what others are doing. Physician, heal yourself. Do we listen to what we tell others?

It seems that we know exactly what the other person needs to do, but we never can figure out what we need to do. We see the mistakes of others, but we fail to see our own. We see the steps that others ought to take to be stronger, but we don’t see the steps we ought to take.

Physicians get sick. Car mechanics have cars that break down. Carpenters have roofs that leak. They can help others, can they help themselves? They would know just what to tell others, but do they listen to themselves?

The small village of Nazareth wanted to see signs. Their unbelief, closed minds, and hard hearts prevented Jesus from doing much there. Oh, He could have showed them. He could have amazed them. But Jesus wanted them to hear His words and not be impressed by what He could do.

Physician, heal yourself. It’s good for me to read what I write. There are days that I need what I write more than anyone else!

Roger

06

Jump Start # 2589

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2589

Luke 4:23 “And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”

This is an interesting verse. Jesus was in Nazareth, his home town. Back home again, we sing around here in Indiana. In the synagogue, He read from Isaiah. He closed the book and everyone watched Him. He then declared that the passage, that prophecy, was fulfilled among them. He was declaring that He was the Messiah. The crowds like listening, but they were puzzled. He was in His home village. The people knew Him. This was the carpenter. This was Joseph’s son. He’d grown up there. How could He declare that He was the Messiah?

Their thoughts were racing through their heads. Jesus knew that. Being a step ahead, Jesus, in our verse today, anticipates that they will quote a proverb. Now, this proverb isn’t found in our book of Proverbs in the Bible. That wasn’t the only place for proverbs. Proverbs was wise sayings, or truisms. It was a form of literature. Their proverb that they were thinking was, “Physician, heal yourself!” They had head about the miracles in Capernaum. Show us who you are. A form of this would be repeated at the cross. The crowds shouted, “He saved others; let Him save Himself.”

Let’s look at that expression, “Physician, heal yourself.” A physician, or doctor, as we call them, ought to be able to take the same medicine that he prescribes to a patient. If he helps others get better, you’d think he could help himself. He ought to know what to do. A car mechanic ought to be able to fix his own car. A guy in the construction business ought to be able to repair his own house. You’d think that. Something looks wrong when the investment advisor is broke, or the gym instructor is overweight and out of shape.

All of this came to me the other day. We’ve been having multiple discussions about getting back to services. A plan was devised but I didn’t like it. Personally, I thought it stank. It put me in a sour mood and I just couldn’t see what the purpose was. We discussed this and they tried to explain things to me, but it wasn’t doing much good. I read yesterday’s Jump Start and then it hit me. And, when something hits you, it can humble you, smack you, and even sting your pride. It dawned on me that I could write about things being different, but I couldn’t put them into practice myself. Physician, heal yourself. Take your own medicine. Read your own words. Listen to what you are saying to others.

And, all of that is good for us.

Parents need to practice what they preach. We tell our kids things, but do we do them ourselves? We want them to pick up their toys. But do we leave the room trashed at the end of the day? We want our kids to apologize to each other, but do we do that when we’ve hurt our spouse? We want our kids to tell their mother ‘thank you,’ for making dinner. Do we say, ‘thank you?’ Physician, heal yourself.

Preachers need to practice what they preach. We can be pretty good at giving out advice and telling others what they need to do. We can quote Scriptures so quickly, it’s like a cowboy pulling out his six gun. Here’s what the elders ought to be doing, we think. He’s where the deacons are missing it, we say. The young families, they need to step it up more. The retired folks need to quit being retired from the Lord. Oh, the advice we can give. But, physician, heal yourself. Do you listen to what you are saying, preacher? Do you lead the way in example? Do you busy yourself in the lives of others and in showing people Christ?

Personally, we need to practice these things. We know why the prodigal got in a mess. We can tell others that they need to spend more time in the Scriptures and more time in prayer and less time watching what others are doing. Physician, heal yourself. Do we listen to what we tell others?

It seems that we know exactly what the other person needs to do, but we never can figure out what we need to do. We see the mistakes of others, but we fail to see our own. We see the steps that others ought to take to be stronger, but we don’t see the steps we ought to take.

Physicians get sick. Car mechanics have cars that break down. Carpenters have roofs that leak. They can help others, can they help themselves? They would know just what to tell others, but do they listen to themselves?

The small village of Nazareth wanted to see signs. Their unbelief, closed minds, and hard hearts prevented Jesus from doing much there. Oh, He could have showed them. He could have amazed them. But Jesus wanted them to hear His words and not be impressed by what He could do.

Physician, heal yourself. It’s good for me to read what I write. There are days that I need what I write more than anyone else!

Roger

06

Jump Start # 2588

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2588

1 Corinthians 10:10 “Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.”

The other day, my wife made for dinner, what we commonly called, “Chicken in a pot.” Chicken, carrots, potatoes, and onions all cooked together in the same pot. It’s good. But oh the memories that meal brings back. When we were a young family, with four little ones at home, and not making much money, we lived on a very, very tight budget. Going out to eat with that many mouths to feed was a rarity. We could get more than one meal out of the “Chicken in the pot.” So, on the way home from church services, back then, the kids would beg us to go out to eat. My wife would say that she already had lunch cooking at home. And, then it came, “Please, not chicken in the pot again!” Weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth! They remember that. And, we remember that.

And, that ties in to our verse today. Israel was released from Egyptian slavery. Freedom! On to the promise land. No more bricks to be made for Pharaoh. They belonged to no one, except God. But the journey soon turned into weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. The nation quickly became tired of manna from Heaven. They remembered what they thought was better food in Egypt. Oh, they wished that they were back in Egypt. Their bellies had fogged their memory and their minds. They forgot about oppression, cruelty, and their tears to Heaven. Complaining turned to thoughts of rebellion. Ditch Moses and get a new leader. That didn’t go well. And, for that thankless generation, the wilderness became their cemetery.

We need to think long and hard about this. Weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth or thankful, respectful and helpful? Many states are beginning to open up on crowd gatherings, especially for church services. Shepherds, deacons and preachers are scrambling as to how things need to be cleaned, organized, passed out, and run efficiently, yet safely. What about the older crowd? Do we still continue to make videos? Do we live stream? Do we hold off on that for a while? What about Bible classes in small classroom settings? And, while all of these zillions of details must be thought out and carefully planned, some folks at home just want to get back to worship. They want a magic wand to be waved and suddenly everything is just as it once was before all of this Covid-19. But it won’t be that way. It can’t be that way, at least at first.

Some may have to sit every other pew. It’s best not to shake hands and hug, for the moment. Water fountains are a no-no. Hand sanitizers everywhere. Some may be wearing masks. Some may remain at home for safety reasons. Suddenly, it’s just not the same as it used to be. And, that’s all it takes for the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth to begin.

Complaining about this. Complaining about that. Why don’t they do this? Why don’t they do that? Why can’t we do this like we used to do this? And, complaining gets weary. It beats down those who are trying to lead. There are so many things to think about. We often forget about that. We only see things from the perspective of ourselves. We forget about young mothers and their little babies. We forget about door handles, the back of pews, collection plates, songbooks and a room filled with our breathing and singing. How to keep people healthy? How to keep people safe? How to still obey and honor God?

There are a few things we need to keep before us.

First, as our verse reminds us, God wasn’t pleased with the complaining. Remember the serpents? Many in Israel died. Then there was a bronze serpent that gave life. Complaining sees problems. Complaining isn’t thankful. Complaining wants changes and they want someone else to make those changes. Just about anyone can be a backseat driver. It’s different when you are sitting in the driver’s seat. At home, sitting on the couch, everyone can coach the team better than the guy we are watching on TV. It looks easier than what it is. The same for leading God’s people. We don’t realize all the factors that they do. We don’t understand everything that they do. We just want something besides manna and we want it now! So, rather than picking up stones to throw at the leaders, why not drop to your knees and thank the Lord that they are thinking about you and everyone else.

Second, God expects us to be different. The Corinthian passage follows with these words, “Now these things happened to the as an example and they were written for our instruction, upon which the ends of the ages have come.” God told us about complaining Israel. He wants us to be different than that. He wants us to learn. And, when we start on the warpath of complaining, God must think, “These people haven’t learned a thing.” Israel had no examples before them, either good or bad. But we do. These things have been written for us. God expects better out of us. Patience, love and being a team player makes all the difference. What other congregations do is between them and the Lord. It’s not our business. We cannot do just what others are doing. We don’t do that in our families? Our circumstances at home are unique to us and we set forth the direction that we want to go. So, God’s leaders must look within the congregation, not the brotherhood, and make the best choices for that group based upon the word of God. Others may disagree. Others may point fingers. Others may complain. Others may do more and faster than what we do. It’s not a time to turn against our leaders who have been there all this time. They have proven themselves before us. And, we must add, it would do a whole lot of good if each congregation minded their own business and just please the Lord. This includes all the ugliness that is found on Facebook by brethren.

Thirdly, what Israel initially wanted, freedom, they never fully embraced. They became slaves to their foul moods and complaints. They became slaves to disobedience and sin. They became slaves to themselves. They never enjoyed what they could have. Forty years as nomads. Forty years of marching about in a desert. Forty years of complaining. I’ve found that for some people complaining is their nature. They are not happy unless they complain. On a sunny day, “It’s too bright.” On a rainy day, “It’s too wet.” Food is never just right. The temperature of the room is never just right. Church services are never just right. Nothing is ever just right. And, if somehow these folks ever made it to Heaven, they’d find something to complain about up there. A complaining heart and a thankful heart don’t fit together well. The more we complain, the more miserable we are. And, the more miserable we are, the less thankful we become. And, like Israel of old, we become our own prisoner. Miserable, unhappy and like a spoiled child that can’t make up it’s mind whether to go outside or come inside. Don’t be that way! The choice is yours.

A funny thing about “chicken in the pot.” A while back we were celebrating one of the kids birthdays. My wife asked, “what would you like for dinner?” The reply, yep, ole’ chicken in the pot! After all these years!

Be a blessing to your congregation, not a stick in the mud. Be helpful. Be understanding. Be patient. These are difficult times and there is so much to consider.

Roger